The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-10-06

lance in this fight, but want it under
stood that we are opposed to any man
who favors the whiskey monopoly; who
is not in favor of cutting down the i'm
mense surplus by getting rid of the
unjust taxes paid by Southern products; (;
who is not in favor of the repeal.of the.
infamous law that protects national.
banks by levying tax of 10per cent. on
currency, and who does not favor q
repeal Of all laws that make discrimi.
nation against real estate as basis for
loans Of money. Senator Colquitt has
been in the Senate nearly six years, and
If he has advocated any bill on this line
it has escaped our observation. The
next Senator elected from Georgia will
have to be on<the line which we have
thus briefly indicated"
The Internal Revenue tax on tobacco
ought, in our judgment, to be repealed,
because it is a tax directly on agricultural
products, and also a tax which discrimi.
mates against the section of the country
in which this is 9 staple crop. a tax on
rice, corn, cotton or any other staple
would be as justi6able as that on tobacco,
but the tax on whiskey rests on a differ
ent footing. It isa manufactured af:icle
which is used in manner injurious to
the public welfare. It is not necessary
article, except to an inappreciably small
extent, and hence there is no strong rea-
son why this tax should be repealed. 1t
will hurt the country less than the tax
on hundreds of other articles. Senator
Colquitt is, We think, right in opposing
the repeal of the tax on whiskey. We
do not understand that Senator Colquitt
opposes all amendment to the revenue
laws, but suppose he would favor a
repeal of the ten per cent. tax on State
banking circulation. We presume that
most Southern Representatives, favor this.
The revenues Of the Government oughtto
be collected SO as to bear as lightly as
possible, and as equally as possible upon
all Of our citizens. For this reason We
would favor absolute free trade, with an
apportionment Of the amount necessary
to defray the expenses of the Govern
ment among the several States in proper
ton to their wealth. This would be
absolutely fair, and would secure equali-
;ty. As it is now, the laboring man and
the man Of small means pays largely
|. more than his share of the taxes. He
/ pays it on his clothes, part of his food,
on his implements for work, on q part OF
the materials that compose his dwelling,
and in hundreds ofother ways. He not
only is called on to pay more than his
share of the taxes by imports, but he has
to contribute immense bounties, as it
were, to the manufacturing interests OF
our country: The system of assessments
upon the States would ensure economical
and honest Government, for every man
would see by that means just what the
national tax amounts to. Now, he
knows nothing about. It would also
forever end the question of surplus
revenue, for Congress would not dare to
levy any considerable sum above the
necessities of the Government. Thia
would be the fairest and most economi.
cal way of collecting the revenue, but We
all recognize the fact that it cannot be 50
collected at this time. An income tax
would be an improvement on the present
plan, and the next best thing will be to
collect only the amount actually neces:
sary, and levy. the duties upon such arti.
cles as will least affect the consuming
and laboring classes, and at the same
time so as to give protection incidentally
to such American industries as stand in
need of it. By this means the tariff will
be reduced to minimum Of evil. The
Democratic party in Congress will this
winter probably remodelthe tariff, and
Senator: Colquitt will doubtless vote in
the way that his judgment leads him to
believe will be best for the whole people.
After this session of Congress it may be
that Gen. Jackson will find Senator Col.
quitt too strong 70 oust, and look for pre-
farment in other directions. We do not
believe that free whiskey can elect any
man to the Senate from Georgia.